Updated 12/20/2011 1:30 p.m.
Brookfield police charged 22-year-old Michael Twist, of Brookfield, with four felony drug and weapons offenses after responding to a domestic battery complaint at his home in the 3100 block of Maple Avenue on Dec. 14.
Twist, in Cook County Jail with his bond set at $75,000, is charged with armed violence and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, both Class X felonies that carry prison sentences of up to 30 years, if convicted. He is also charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
In addition, he faces eight misdemeanor charges, ranging from domestic violence to gun and drug charges to resisting arrest and obstructing justice. His next court date is Jan. 11 at Maybrook.
Twist’s father called police to the family’s home just prior to 5 p.m. on Dec. 14 after Michael reportedly physically attacked him during an argument, punching his father in the face.
Police arrived at the scene as Twist was preparing to leave the scene, and he ran from a police officer who approached him in the gangway on the south side of his house. During the pursuit, according to police, Twist threw a silver handgun and a plastic bag containing 23.7 grams of cannabis over a fence. He then reportedly tossed aside a purple Crown Royal bag containing 17.2 grams of cocaine, packaged in 22 individually sealed bags, before surrendering to police.
After the altercation with his father, Twist reportedly went to his room to grab the gun and drugs because he did not want to be caught with the items. Police initially believed the loaded, 1944-era, 9 mm P-38 handgun might be stolen, but a check of computer records proved inconclusive.
Brookfield police have requested that a more thorough check of the weapon be conducted by federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Pigeons dropping like flies
North Riverside police reported three separate incidents last week where women were scammed out of money by someone offering to share a large amount of found cash in exchange for some upfront money as a goodwill gesture.
Two of the so-called “pigeon drop” incidents were reported Dec. 14 between 3:10 and 3:40 p.m. by younger women who were shoppers at the North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road.
A 22-year-old Berwyn woman gave $130 to a man who, in exchange, promised to give her $500, which he found in a wallet at the mall. After giving the man the $130, the victim was instructed to go to a mall store, where she could get her share of the loot, but no one showed up.
About a half hour later, a 26-year-old Bellwood woman said she gave $860 in cash to a man and woman who said they would split the large amount of cash they found in a wallet at the mall with her. When the victim went to collect the money at the drop point, no one was waiting for her.
In the third instance, on Dec. 13 about 10:30 a.m., a 58-year-old Broadview woman gave $9,000 to a woman who said she would split more than $100,000 in found cash with her.
An unknown woman approached the victim in the parking lot of Goodwill, 1900 Harlem Ave., with a bag full of money purported to be gambling winnings. After withdrawing the $9,000 from the bank and giving it to the woman, the victim was instructed to go to an office in the MB Bank building and ask for a Mr. Kramer to claim her share of the gambling winnings.
There was no Mr. Kramer to be found inside the building.
Uncooperative all the way around
Brookfield police charged Country Club Hills resident Bernard G. Otis, 47, with telephone harassment and resisting arrest after he reportedly left two threatening voice messages on the phone of his ex-girlfriend, a Brookfield resident, on the morning of Dec. 16.
Officers from Brookfield attempted to detain Otis at his home, but he reportedly refused to let them in and allegedly told them he would kill them if they came into his house.
Country Club Hills police arrested Otis on the evening of Dec. 17 after he reportedly caused a disturbance at a neighborhood Christmas party. He had to be physically removed from the squad car and then carried into the Brookfield police station and down the hall to an interview room where he struggled with police attempting to remove his many necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Dec. 12-18, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
-Compiled by Bob Uphues
